


Mistletoe Mayhem and Eggnog Escapades

by modorenai



Category: K (Anime)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2020-05-20 02:11:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19367977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/modorenai/pseuds/modorenai
Summary: HOMRA holds their usual annual Christmas Party, but this year, in an attempt to foster peace with the other colour clans, they invite the other clans to join the party as well. Chitose hits upon the bright idea to hang up mistletoe in the bar. Shennanigans promptly ensue.





	1. Mistletoe Mayhem

**Author's Note:**

> This is a really loooooooooooong overdue Secret Santa exchange fic for tumblr user yatagarasuaesthetics, who requested for "HOMRA, Yata, Saru, Tenkei, Mikoto" to be in the fic. 
> 
> To yatagarasuaesthetics, I'm really sorry that it took me half a year to write this, but I was pretty busy the last few months and kept procrastinating working on this fic because my brain just wasn't in a ficcing mood. Also, it didn't help that I stupidly ended up making my fic much more ambitious then my original outline. It was originally supposed to be a small fic about just HOMRA and Jungle based on your indicated preferences, but then I saw Circle Vision and then this ended up ballooning into a monster game of "let's see how many characters I can possibly fit into this fic without killing myself". Sometimes I really hate myself. >_> So anyway, sorry again for the long wait, and I hope you like this fic! This is just the first part though - I had to break it in half because it just kept getting longer and longer and I didn't want to keep you waiting any more. I'll try to get the second part up as soon as possible though! 
> 
> General note to whoever's reading this: This is a Christmas story set in the Circle Vision setting. Not going to say more in case SPOILERS for those who haven't watched the movie yet, but rest assured that this fic doesn't have any actual spoilers for the movie itself, other than the fact that you may be a bit ??? at how many characters there are in this. It (hopefully) shouldn't affect your enjoyment of the fic though!
> 
> p/s Apologies in advance if I've gotten the way the characters refer to each other wrong. It's so hard to remember these details when there are so many characters, especially since it's been awhile since I've re-watched/re-read the series! I didn't want to lose the urge to fic by researching up all these things. I may edit this fic at a later date to correct any of this, but in the meantime if anyone spots any errors, please feel free to point them out to me. Sorry also for any possible cringe inducing moments where I attempted to give certain characters unique speaking styles to try and differentiate their personalities, especially if they had a particular way of speaking in Japanese. As you can tell, I have yet to master the art of writing different accents/speaking styles. >_>

"Chitose-san, what are you doing?" Misaki asked, staring curiously at the other man who was grinning happily to himself while fiddling with one of the lamps hanging down from the middle of the ceiling of the bar.

"Making some preparations for tonight's Christmas party," Chitose replied cryptically as he finished tying something to the lamp, stepping back to admire his handiwork.

Misaki glanced over at the lamp too, but all he could see was a bunch of green leaves tied to it - nothing particularly remarkable that would have required Chitose's intense scrutiny, in his opinion.

Shrugging, Misaki pushed Chitose's weird behaviour out of his mind - Chitose was always acting weird and creepy especially when it came to girls after all - and continued wiping down the tables. There was a lot of cleaning to be done before the party later that night thanks to Kusanagi-san's high standards. Particularly since they had invited Sceptre 4, the White Rice Party, and Miwa Ichigen to join the party (the invite had also been extended to Jungle, though they had declined via Kotosaka, citing the still strained relationship between them and the other clans), so everything had to be absolutely spick and span since there was no way HOMRA could lose face in front of the others, especially not in front of Sceptre 4.

Little did Misaki know he would soon come to regret ignoring his instincts. 

======================

The main members of HOMRA and all the guests had gathered in the bar and were chatting amongst themselves, helping themselves to the food that had been prepared for the occasion. Since the guest list was bigger than usual this year, Kusanagi had decided to splurge on the catering, especially because all the clans had agreed to contribute equally to the costs of the party, as the believed it was for a worthy cause. Not all the food was catered, though - Kusanagi had insisted on making some of the food by hand as per yearly tradition, like the gingerbread men that Anna had helped him make, which explained why so many of them were dressed in red icing. Tatara was also busily handing out glasses of his homemade eggnog, which he had been careful to ensure had a non-alcoholic version in addition to the usual alcoholic one, considering that some of the guests at the party were still minors.

Everyone had mostly broken off into their little groups scattered all around the dining booths and at the seats at the bar when Chitose clapped his hands to get everyone's attention and said, "Ok, listen up everyone!" The loud chatter in the bar paused as everyone turned to looked at him.

"I have an announcement to make! As you know, today is Bar HOMRA's annual Christmas Party. However, this year the party is not just limited to HOMRA, but has also been opened to the members of the other clans as part of the agreement between the Kings to try to get everyone to get along. So in order to celebrate this special occasion, I've prepared something special. Mistletoe!" He said, grinning broadly as he pointed to the bunch of green leaves he had tied to the ceiling lamp earlier.   

"Missile-what?" Bandou asked, confused. "Are we going to war or something?"

"Mistletoe, you idiot," Eric said, giving him a withering look. "People in the West use it to decorate their houses during Christmas, and there's a tradition that if you meet someone under the mistletoe, you have to kiss them." 

"Exactly, Eric! Which means that it'll give us the perfect opportunity to kiss all the pretty ladies here tonight!" Chitose crowed, rubbing his hands gleefully. 

"We should have known that that would have been your plan." Dewa sighed, not even bothering to shoot Chitose a glare. As Chitose's long-suffering childhood friend, he was already used to Chitose's philandering ways. "Anyway, I sense a fatal flaw in your scheme."

"I'm not SCHEMEING - "

Cutting off Chitose's protest mid-sentence, Dewa raised a finger as he said in a deadpan voice, "Firstly, you're assuming that the ladies here today actually WANT to kiss or be kissed. Secondly," he continued, raising another finger, "Now that you've drawn attention to the mistletoe, most people are just going to avoid it anyway if they don't want to kiss or be kissed."

"Those points are moot, Dewa! I'm sure all the ladies here would be happy to participate in some traditional Christmas fun, especially when there are so many charming men around here, like ME. Don't all you pretty ladies want to kiss me?" He turned towards the bar where Klaudia, Seri and Yayoi were sitting and chatting over some drinks, flashing them a winsome smile. 

"No," Seri said coldly, not even bothering to spare him a glance as she took a sip from her martini that was piled high with anko. 

Yayoi covered her cheeks, which were burning crimson, with her hands and replied, "Oh no, I couldn't possibly kiss anyone here! That would be too embarrassing. The only kiss I've ever had was with Kuro!"

Kuroh, who had also been sipping a drink next to Klaudia, spat out his drink. "W-what!? With me!? I don't - I never - " he sputtered. 

"Oh my, Kuroh-san, have you been keeping a secret from us?" Klaudia asked teasingly. 

Shiro gave a mock gasp. "What's this, Kuro? Has my wife been cheating on me?" he asked, placing a hand over his heart and assuming a pained expression on his face. 

"Wife!?" Kuroh choked even further. 

Before Kuroh could continue with his protests, Yayoi blushed deeper and said, "Oh no, sorry for the misunderstanding! I didn't mean Kuroh-san, but rather Kuro!" She pointed toward the cat that was lying on her lap purring contentedly as she stroked it. "Right, Kuro?" She asked, leaning down to look the cat in the eyes. The black cat tilted its head up to give her a whiskery kiss and meowed in the affirmative. 

Seeing the scene, Neko interjected, "Neko wants a kiss too!" With a poof, she changed into her cat form and jumped onto Shiro's lap, leaning up towards him like Kuro had.

"Neko! Refrain from engaging in such unbecoming behaviour at once!" Kuroh protested, outraged, as he reached out to remove her from Shiro's lap, but she simply used her paw to bat his hand away. Laughing, Shiro leaned down and rubbed his cheek against hers instead. That seemed to satisfy her enough as she returned the gesture, purring happily. 

"... that was not entirely what I had in mind," Chitose sighed dejectedly. He turned hopefully towards one of the dining booths where Ayumi, Rikio's childhood friend, was sitting.

"The only person I ever want to kiss is Rikio!" She declared, reaching over to poke Kamamoto's chubby cheek affectionately. "Winter is the best time for kisses since he's so nice and jiggly!" she giggled. But the target of her affections simply sighed and moved out of the range of her outstretched finger. "No kissing," he said sternly. "We're just childhood friends and childhood friends don't just kiss for no good reason." Ayumi pouted.

".. Right. Looks like this isn't going to work after all." Chitose sighed in disappointment. "I guess I'll just remove the mistletoe then since no one seems interested in kissing anyone."

But just as he reached out to remove the mistletoe, the bell above the door to the bar jangled as someone opened it and strode in purposefully toward Chitose.

Chitose froze in action, his hand just about to touch the mistletoe as he found himself face to face with Yubikiri Maria.

Chitose felt the blood drain from his face as he whirled around to look at Tatara. "Did you invite her, Totsuka-san?"

"Sure, why not? Kusanagi-san did say I could invite anyone I wanted, and I thought it would be nice to ask her to join us since she's met the rest of HOMRA before," Tatara replied cheerfully. Chitose could think of plenty of reasons why NOT to invite her, but because he valued his life, he wisely decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Hello, Chitose-san. It's been a long time," the lady with the long raven hair smiled at him. On any other woman, the smile would have looked ravishing, but on Maria, the smile looked positively predatory. 

"H-hello, Maria! Wasn't expecting to see you here!" Chitose laughed nervously.

"You're both standing under the mistletoe so you have to kiss now!" Doumyouji hooted. Chitose immediately shot him a nasty look but Doumyouji simply grinned back unrepentantly.

"Kiss?" Maria asked questioningly.

"No no," Chitose said hastily as he reached a hand up towards the lamp. "That's not necessary, Doumyouji's just spouting nonsense. I was just about to remove this ugly dried out weed from the lamp, I have no idea how it got stuck there..."

Maria's eyes followed the movement of Chitose's hand up towards the lamp, and understanding dawned in her eyes as she spotted the green sprig tied to it. "Ah, so this is what they call "mistletoe". I have certainly heard of that Christmas tradition before. Well, I certainly wouldn't mind kissing Chitose-san." Maria said as she reached out and grabbed Chitose by the shoulders. 

Chitose winced visibly in pain. "Uh, Maria, your grip is a tad too tight..."

"Wait!" A voice rang out through the room. All eyes turned to look at the source of the voice as it was Dewa's turn to stride over to where Chitose and Maria were standing. 

"I'm sorry, Maria-san, but I can't allow you to kiss Chitose."

"Why not?"

"Because..." there was a slight pause as Dewa's eyes drifted uncertainly towards Chitose's direction, before they hardened with resolve. "Because he's mine!"

Before those words even registered in Chitose's ears, he found his shoulders being ripped away from Maria's grip and encased in Dewa's hands instead. The next thing he knew, a pair of lips had covered his own and he was being kissed soundly by his longtime partner in crime.

When they finally broke apart, a shell-shocked Chitose staring at Dewa in utter confusion, Dewa slung his arm around Chitose's shoulders and turned around to face Maria. 

"I'm sorry, Maria-san. But I won't give up Chitose to anyone else."

The whole bar had fallen silent and the only sound that could be heard was that of Kamamoto munching on some caramel coated nuts as he, along with everyone in the bar, stared at the scene unfolding in front of them breathlessly. 

The silence was soon broken as Maria let out a plaintive sigh. "All right, Dewa-san. I will admit that I am somewhat disappointed, considering that I had designs on Chitose-san myself, but upon my good conscience I cannot allow myself to get in the way of true love. I will step aside," she declared, and adjourned to the bar where Yayoi was standing, hands over her cheeks and blushing furiously at Dewa and Chitose in delight. 

Chitose covered his mouth, the very picture of a blushing maiden as he said to Dewa, shocked, "Oh my god, Dewa, I never knew you liked me in THAT way!"

Dewa froze, then turned crimson and shot him a withering look. "Of course I don't, you fool!" He whispered back furiously, not wanting to be overheard by the others. "I just saved your ass! You didn't want to be kissed and potentially stuck for life with Yubikiri Maria, especially after all the mess you created the previous time, didn't you?" 

"Oh, right," Chitose faltered, feeling strangely disappointed somehow. "Thanks man," he grinned, though somehow he had the feeling that his grin was a bit more skewed than usual, although he didn't know why. "You're a real bro," he added patting Dewa on the back. 

"... Anytime, bro." Dewa muttered back, pulling down the brim of his hat so that it cast his eyes in shadow. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he retreated to a corner of the bar while mumbling darkly to himself. _("God I'm so STUPID, why did I deny it, it would have been the perfect opportunity, WHY am I like this...")_

Just then, a hand shot through the air and waved vigorously. "I have a suggestion!" Tatara piped up. "Why don't we do something fun and turn this mistletoe thing into a game by combining it with the King game? We'll each draw numbered lots and whoever gets their number called out will have to kiss each other under the mistletoe! Or they can refuse to do it, but that means they'll have to perform a penalty instead."

Without even waiting for anyone else to assent, he walked over to the bar and grabbed a small can which was filled with flat wooden ice cream sticks.

"All right, can everyone please come over and each pick one of the sticks from this can? I'll explain the rules of the game further after everyone has picked one!"

"Prepared, ain't ya?" Kusanagi commented in amusement, as he obligingly drew a stick out from the container.

"Yeah, I was already planning for us to play the King game actually. It's our HOMRA Christmas party tradition, after all," Tatara grinned back. "I'm glad these came in handy!"

Soon, everyone had been convinced, coaxed and coerced into drawing their respective lots. As they looked at their lots with varying degrees of curiosity, excitement and trepidation, Tatara announced, "Ok, now that everyone has picked a lot, let me explain a bit more for those who don't know how this game works."

"So first of all, for each round, there will be someone designated as the King. Normally, that person is the one who draws the lot with the word "King" written on it, but I'll kickstart the game by being the King for the first round in order to make explaining things a bit easier. The King will pick two numbers, and the people who have drawn those two numbers will have to kiss under the mistletoe. They can refuse to kiss if they want, but that means that they will then have to perform a penalty decided upon by the King. After the pair who have been picked have performed their kiss or penalty, everyone draws lots again and the process is repeated until we get tired of playing. Does everyone understand how to play the game now?"

There were nods all around the room, though some seemed a bit more uncertain or reluctant than most.    

"Ok, then let's start! To begin, let's have... 1 and 8! Can the two people who drew those numbers please come forward?"

"Nya! That's me!" Neko crowed, jumping up from where she was seated at the bar next to the rest of the Silver Clan and bouncing up and down excitedly. "Shiro~~~~ did you get number 8? I want another kissy!"

"I am afraid that it is not Shiro but I who holds number 8." Kokujouji said solemnly as he stood up as well. 

"It's ok, Neko doesn't mind kissing Kokujouji! Since Shiro likes Kokujouji, Neko likes Kokujouji too!"

"I certainly mind, young lady." Kokujouji snapped back with a scandalised look, trying to look stern, an attempt that was rather marred by the tinge of pink colouring his cheeks. (Shiro thought that it made for a rather fetching contrast against the Lieutenant's tanned skin and jet-black hair, and leaned over to whisper his opinion in his sister's ear. She giggled and nodded her assent.) "It would be HIGHLY inappropriate for a man my age to express designs of any sort on an innocent young lady with whom whom he has nary an intention of courting. I am instead willing to accept whatever penalty I am assigned in lieu of such... unseemly dalliances." He looked toward Tatara expectantly. 

But before Tatara could respond, there was a flash of colour out of the corner of Kokojouji's eye and he found himself being pounced upon by Neko, who had thrown her arms around his neck and was trying to reach up towards his face for a kiss. With a shout of alarm, he staggered backward as he tried to pull her away from him. Flailing, he accidentally knocked into Shiro who in turn bumped into Klaudia who in turn knocked against Kuroh, and with a loud clatter all five of them fell into a heap on the floor. Kuroh had thrown himself under both Shiro and Klaudia and had cradled their heads as they fell on top of him while managing to break his fall safely, but an unprepared Kokujouji had not been as lucky and found his head connecting with the parquet floor of the bar, letting out an ungracious "OOF!" as Neko's elbow thumped solidly into his solar plexus. Before the dazed Lieutenant could recover his wits, Neko had grabbed his face in her hands and planted a smackeroo on his lips.  

"NEKO!" Kokujouji roared in a mixture of horror and anger, sitting up as he attempted to untangle Neko's limbs from his own, but she simply continued to cling on with all the tenacity of a leech as she gave a smug smile, looking entirely like the proverbial cat that ate the canary. His flush grew darker. As he drew in a deep breath to begin berating the thoroughly unrepentant feline, Shiro and Klaudia suddenly burst out laughing.

"I fail to see the humour in this situation," Kokujouji said huffily, adusting the skewed collar of his uniform as he glared at the two siblings. 

"With all due respect, I must say that I agree with the Lieutenant," Kuroh chided, as the rest of them sat up and began rearranging their rumpled clothes. "That was incredibly dangerous. What if one of you had injured yourselves?"

"Oh don't be so stiff, you two," Shiro laughed. "What's a little kiss between members of the Silver clan?" And saying so, he leaned over to kiss a stunned Kuroh on the cheek, who froze in shock, before reaching over and giving the other three similar kisses. While Neko and Klaudia happily returned Shiro's kisses with their own, Kokujouji looked like he might be having an apoplexy.  

"I agree with my brother," Klaudia chimed in, laughing lightly at the bewildered look on the two men's faces. "Christmas is a season for sharing love and joy, after all!" She too reached over to kiss the other three on their cheeks. Neko purred happily. 

"Kisses! Let Neko give kissies too!" she cried, moving to do exactly that. There was no resistance from the other two black-haired men who remained immobile, staring blankly into space with shock. 

"Ahem," Tatara cleared his throat. "I think it's time for us to end round 1. Kamamoto, Misaki, if you could kindly help those two frozen gentlemen back to their seats," he said, gesturing over to the Kuroh and Kokujouji statues. The two HOMRA members obliged, although a slightly traumatised looking Misaki, whose bright-red face looked like it was literally on fire, made sure to stay as far away from Neko as possible while he did so.  

"All right everyone, please come over and pick your lots for round 2!"  

Everyone did so, although this time Shiro had to pick lots for Kuroh and Kokujouji who both remained so still that they looked like they were part of the bar furniture. He placed the lots in their hands and closed their fingers over them to make sure the lots wouldn't fall out of their unfeeling hands.

"Ok, who's the King this time?" Tatara asked. "Whoever is the King, please pick any number from 1 to 34!"

A timid hand was slowly raised in the air. "Um, I believe it is me." Enomoto said nervously, fiddling with the hem of his jacket with the hand that was currently not in the air. "Er... um... I pick... uh... numbers 5 and... 22?"

"I am holding the lot numbered 5," said Ichigen, displaying his lot with a gentle yet grand flick of his wrist so that everyone could see the "5" boldly written on it.

There was no other sound from the rest of the group.

"Hm? Who is the one holding the lot numbered 22?" Tatara asked. "I made sure to have as many numbered lots as there are guests today, so there shouldn't be any missing numbers or repeats. Everyone, please check your lots again to make sure you aren't holding the number 22."

"Ah!" Shiro exclaimed. He had plucked the lot from Kuroh's unresponsive hand and was waving it in the air. "It looks like Kuroh has number 22!"

Ichigen smiled softly, then elegantly glided over to his disciple who was still staring ahead blankly, unaware of the world around him. Ichigen reached out and gently brushed Kuroh's bangs aside, then placed a tender kiss on his forehead. 

For a moment, there was silence. Then, as everyone watched in fascination, the tips of Kuroh's fingers turned red, then the wave of colour seemed to spread slowly but steadily upward from fingers to his wrists to his neck to his chin to his cheeks to his forehead until there was an almost audible "pop!" and it was as if everyone in the bar could practically _see_  Kuroh's head exploding like a tiny volcano.

"I-Ichigen-sama!" Kuroh cried out reverently, hands covering the spot where Ichigen had just kissed him, and gazing at his beloved master with stars sparkling in his eyes.

"Welcome back, Kuroh," Ichigen smiled affectionately, his eyes twinkling with just the slightest hint of amusement.

"I'm never washing my forehead ever again!" Kuroh declared emotionally.

"Oh my. That would be rather troublesome if you did that," Ichigen chuckled. "You mustn't forget the importance of cleanliness, Kuroh.

_Blessed is the man,  
_

_Who keeps both body and soul,  
_

_Pure of stain and sin._ " *

He patted Kuroh on the head and Kuroh nearly keeled over in joy.

"Yes! Ichigen-sama!" The Black Dog was almost sobbing now.

"... Ok, I think it's time to move on to round 3 now," Tatara said, grinning broadly as Ichigen settled back into his seat, this time with Kuroh nestling up next to him like an adoringly devoted canine. The ruckus had managed to shake Kokujouji out of his coma as well, and with a dignified pull of his collar, the Lieutenant sat back down next to Shiro and Klaudia.

This time it was Bandou's turn to be King.

"2 and 15!" He called out promptly without any hesitation.

"Oya? It seems that number 15 would be me." Munakata said, pushing his spectacles up the bridge of his nose with his finger.

The atmosphere in the bar suddenly seemed to crackle over with some unseen energy, as there was a grunt in the direction of the sofa, and Mikoto sat up, looking at Munakata with a feral grin. A stick labelled with the number "2" stuck out from under the hand he had used to push himself up with.   

" _ **Bandou**_ ~~~~~~" almost as one entity, the members of HOMRA and Sceptre 4 turned around to glare menacingly at the unsuspecting offender.

"I'm sorry!" He quaked. "I didn't do it on PURPOSE! I just picked the first two numbers that came to mind!"

Munakata turned his head towards Mikoto's direction, his gaze hidden by his glasses which glinted opaquely in the harsh light of the bar, exuding a chilly aura that wrapped itself heavily around the crackling energy in the background, almost as if trying to suppress it. Mikoto simply smirked back as he left his place on the sofa and laguidly sauntered over to where the Blue King stood, a jeering challenge in his own eyes as the two men stood barely centimetres apart, their invisible energies continuing to fight against each other in a battle for dominance. The temperature in the room almost seemed to drop several degrees, and for a moment some of the occupants could swear that they saw some bold flashes of lightning in the background behind the two Kings. The air between them seemed to ripple with intensity as the stare-off continued unabated. 

It seemed like almost an eternity had passed before Hidaka managed to shake himself free of the oppressive atmosphere and yelled "Cancel! Cancel!" at Tatara. His frantic voice succeeded in breaking the spell that seemed to have fallen over the inhabitants of the bar, as the rest of the HOMRA and Scepter 4 boys nodded furiously in unison, the two opposing groups in full agreement for once in their long history of neverending face-offs. Kusanagi and Awashima took the opportunity to usher their respective Kings back to opposite sides of the room, and there was a collective sigh of relief as the air in the room reverted back to normal and everyone could breathe properly again.

"Ahem. Well then, by popular vote, this round has been cancelled," Tatara announced with a wry smile.

The next King was Claudia, who called out for numbers 20 and 8 in her gentle lilting voice. The chosen ones turned out to be Camo and Akagi. However, before Akagi could even lift a finger, Camo turned to him and spoke.

"I am sorry, Akagi-san," Camo said solemnly. "But I am afraid that we will have to proceed with the penalty. Ever since I divorced from my wife, I have made a vow not to kiss anyone, and to dedicate all my love only to my daughter and to her alone." His frank admission touched the hearts of everyone in the room, with an emotional Enomoto trying to hide the tears welling up in his eyes as he blew his nose discretely into his handkerchief, and everyone agreed unanimously that the doting father should be let off lightly. This meant that Camo and Akagi merely had to sing a rather off-key and not at all harmonious rendition of "Frosty the Snowman", which the Sceptre 4 member had picked as it was his daughter's favourite Christmas carol, as he gazed wistfully off into the distance throughout the entire song. Everyone applauded politely once the two men were done, with not a few sighs of relief that the (un)musical performance was finally over.

Next up was Munkata's turn to be King.

"Oh ho~~~" Munakata's spectacles gleamed. The male members of Sceptre 4 (sans Fushimi, who was slouching in one of the bar booths pretending not to look interested as Misaki talked animatedly to him, and Doumyouji, who was in the neighbouring booth chatting amiably with Kamamoto with a glass of eggnog in his hand) trembled in trepidation, praying desperately that they wouldn't be unlucky enough to get picked.

"Totsuka-kun," Munakata beckoned towards the brown-haired man. When Tatara walked over, the Blue King leaned over and whispered something into his ear. Everyone looked on curiously as the game master laughed in reply, then nodded his head and walked back to his spot in the middle of the bar.

Clapping his hands grandly, Tatara announced, "Upon special request, I hereby declare that one of the rules of this game shall be amended - henceforth, the King may pick as many numbers as he wants, and shall not be limited to merely two!"

Howls of protest erupted from the boys in blue.

"You can't do that, Totsuka-san!"

"That's just unfair!"

"This is too one-sided!" 

"Have mercy on us!"

"You don't understand what Captain is capable of!"

"We're doomed!"

Tatara raised his hand to silence them, grinning. "I'm sorry," he said, sounding not at all sorry, "But the Kings have mutually declared that today shall be a day of cooperation between the colour clans, which means that as the vassal of the Red King, I am obliged today to also carry out the wishes of the other Kings, provided that there is no objection from my own King." He looked over at the sofa, which had been reclaimed by Mikoto. The Sceptre 4 members similarly turned their heads in the direction of the sofa, throwing beseeching looks at the Red King, but there was no sound to be heard from the apparently slumbering man.

 "All right then, Munakata-san, please pick your numbers." Tatara's words fell upon the ears of the hapless men with a cruel ring much like that of the sound of a guillotine blade swiftly slicing its way downwards.  

Munakata's spectacles gleamed again with an almost sinister sparkle as his subordinates trembled harder.

"I pick 4, 7, 26, 12, 31 and 11."

There was a silence. Then, almost in unison, Akiyama, Benzai, Enomoto, Fuse, Gotoh and Hidaka dropped to their knees in despair.

"Captain, how did you manage to pick all of us at one go!? You're not cheating, are you?" Fuse cried out in dismay.

"Also, how is it that Doumyouji and Fushimi have managed to escape unscathed!? That's not fair!" Hidaka wailed mournfully.

Munakata simply smiled back at them enigmatically as he adjusted his spectacles once again, then opened his mouth to pronounce his orders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Sorry, I cannot haiku for the life of me. Many gomens to Ichigen-sama for sullying his pristine reputation with my lame attempt at one.


	2. Eggnog Escapades

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Andddddddddd the second part is finally done! I am so sorry that it took almost another year before I could finish it, I'm terrible, I know. *covers face with hands*  
> Shout-out to the new K fanzine project (@FanzineK on twitter) for reigniting my love for K. If anyone is interested in applying to be an artist or writer for the zine, please do check them out!  
> Fingers crossed that this re-interest will give me enough momentum to finish my other fics, but knowing myself, I am not going to raise my hopes up just yet. ORZ

"Time to pick your lots for round 5, everyone!" Tatara called out. He tried very hard not to giggle as Akiyama, who was currently walking circles around the bar upside down on his hands, walked over to him.

"I thought Christmas was supposed to be a time of joy and happiness," Akiyama said mournfully, from his upside down position as he did a handstand against the wall to rest, panting slightly. Tatara obligingly tucked a lot into the other man's belt. "Not a time of humiliation and suffering." 

Beside him, Benzai glumly continued to turn cartwheels across the room. Fuse looked like he was about to die from the strain of having to keep his body in an upside down bridge position, body shaking so hard it looked like he might collapse at any moment. Next to him, Enomoto was sitting cross legged and had hoisted his body off the floor by pushing against the floor with his palms. He began to walk on his hands towards Tatara, body swinging and arms trembling with every hand-step. 

"Well, I'm toooooootally feeling tons of joy and happiness looking at all of you," Doumyouji cackled from his safe spot in one of the dining booths next to the fish tanks as he looked at his comrades with undisguised glee in his eyes. Hidaka, who was in the midst of hopping his way to Tatara while doing burpees, paused for a moment to turn around to give Doumyouji the middle finger, too exhausted to even shoot back a verbal retort. Gotoh remained as silent as usual, but the stone-faced expression on his face as he held himself up in a side plank with his arm stretched up towards the ceiling seemed almost reproachful as he stared at Doumyouji.  

"I wouldn't exactly call "schadenfreude" a measure of true happiness," Enomoto called out tartly to Doumyouji from where he was sta(han)ding next to Tatara, a rare note of bitterness in the normally timid man's voice. He looked up at the blonde-haired HOMRA member helplessly, trying to figure out how he was going to manage balancing on one hand while reaching out with his other hand to pick a lot from the can without toppling over. Taking pity on him, Tatara picked a lot from the can and placed it between his teeth, making sure to keep the end with the number printed on it the furthest from Enomoto's mouth so that he could see what was written on it, which the bespectacled man dutifully did, his eyes crossing from the effort.  

"Oh I dunno, this happiness I'm feeling certainly feels genuine enough to me," Doumyouji replied brightly, still grinning evilly as he handed out glasses of eggnog to the people sitting near him, having been tasked to help distribute drinks while his colleagues were currently incapacitated. 

Fuse had somehow managed to scuttle over to Tatara while maintaining his body bridge position, and was precariously balanced on three limbs as he raised one leg towards the can that Tatara was holding, pointing his toes forward so that the top of his boot formed a flat platform upon which Tatara could balance a lot. He groaned in pain as he lowered his leg and raised his head slightly to read the number printed on it, his neck straining. His face was turning so red it looked like he was about to explode. 

After everyone had drawn their lots and the boys in blue could finally collapse on the floor to rest and catch their breaths, it was time for the next round of the King game. 

"6 and 19!" called out Fujishima, the King for the current round. 

There was a high-pitched squeal of delight and as everyone turned to look at the source of the sound, Ayumi had pounced on Kamamoto and had dragged him under the mistletoe and was enthusiastically peppering his face with kisses as he tried to fend her off, protesting in vain that this wasn't appropriate behaviour for people who were "just childhood friends". 

"Is it just me or has the temperature in the room just gone up?" Shiro murmured to Klaudia, who giggled as some of the HOMRA members, particularly Bandou, literally burned with jealousy, creating heat waves around them with their angry auras.

"Um... 10 and 18 please," Yayoi said softly, when she was picked to be the next King. 

"That's me!" Chitose shot up from his seat, crowing in delight as he twirled around to look at the ladies gathered near the bar. "Which of you beautiful ladies will be offering me their delightful assistance tonight?" Before any of them could respond, he suddenly felt a slight tug on the back of his jacket. Whirling around in anticipation, he was momentarily puzzled as he didn't see anyone behind him. However, another tug at his sleeve caused him to look down and his gaze fell upon a little girl dressed in red. 

"Chitose, I picked 18," Anna said quietly, eyes sparkling innocently in anticipation as she looked up at him. Chitose's jaw dropped. 

Immediately, there was a huge uproar in the bar as the other HOMRA ABC boys surged up as one and immediately lunged towards Chitose. Akagi gently detached Anna's hand from Chitose's sleeve before Misaki grabbed Chitose in a violent chokehold around his neck and dragged him far away from HOMRA's princess.

"Mi, sa, ki, I, ca, n't, bre, athe," Chitose wheezed, frantically slapping at Misaki's arm as he was forcibly pulled to the other side of the bar. 

"Tatara, what's wrong?" Anna's head tilted to the side in mild confusion. "Why are the others yelling at Chitose?" 

"It's okay Anna, you don't have to know," Tatara said soothingly, patting her on the head. "Let them sort things out themselves."

"You're going to pick the penalty option or so help us, all of us here are going to break every single perverted bone in your body," Misaki hissed at Chitose, although due to the fact that Misaki never really had a good understanding of what the term "volume control" entailed, he was practically shouting in the other man's ear.  

"Why aren't you saying anything!?" Misaki demanded as Chitose remained silent, face turning red as he struggled to breathe. 

"Uh, Yata-san, I think Chitose-san can't reply, let alone breathe, with your arm cutting off his air supply," Kamamoto pointed out. Chitose's face had almost turned purple at this point.

"Oh," Misaki said, blinking in surprise momentarily. Then he let go and Chitose fell to the floor, gasping as he sucked in huge breathfuls of air. Dewa crouched down next to him and sympathetically patted his arm. Once Chitose had recovered, he turned balefully on Misaki and said, "Are you crazy!? You nearly killed me! And of course I was planning to choose the penalty option! You don't genuinely believe that I would kiss a minor, do you?" His question was met with silence from the other HOMRA boys and a stony glare from Misaki, which Chitose returned with an injured look of his own. Huffing in annoyance, he stood up and smoothed out his jacket which had been messed up due to the manhandling, and turned to Yayoi. "Penalty, please," he sniffed haughtily, throwing another hurt look at Misaki, the very picture of a man who had been publicly wronged. 

The penalty that Yayoi picked was for Chitose and Anna to do the rabbit dance, which involved them both making rabbit ears by placing their extended fingers against their heads and hopping around the room while making plenty of "pyon! pyon! pyon!" sounds in sing-song voices. Chitose looked like he was about to die from embarrassment, but Anna seemed to be enjoying herself as she bounced around, her sparkling eyes making a delightful contrast with her usual expressionless face. This resulted in at least half of the people in the bar clutching their hearts and declaring that they were dying of a sugar overdose.    

For the next round, King Zenjou ended up picking 16 and 3, which turned out to be Awashima and Kusanagi respectively. 

"Come on, Seri-chan," Kusanagi said with a rakish grin, beckoning towards Sceptre 4's second-in-command as he walked over to stand under the mistletoe. "How 'bout we indulge these young 'uns a little and give 'em some of that entertainment that they're looking for?"

Awashima stared back at him coolly with a glacial gaze that reminded Kusanagi exactly why he had nicknamed her "Tundra Woman".

Kusanagi gulped, and began to back away nervously as Awashima's hand seemed to drift slowly toward the sword hanging from her hip. 

"... Hm. Well, I do hate to lose," was the last thing he heard before he suddenly felt a forceful yank on his neckscarf and found himself being pulled forward. Before he could get a grasp of what was going on, he suddenly felt warm lips pressing against his. 

_So soft_ , the thought flitted across his mind. Instinctively, he could feel himself leaning into the kiss, his lips parting naturally as her tongue flicked against his lips and made its way into his pliant mouth. Kusanagi was proud of the fact that he had kissed many women in his life, all of whom had praised his superior skills, but this was the first time when he felt like he was the one being ravaged rather than than the one doing the ravaging.   

Before he could fully wrap his head around what was happening, he was abruptly released and he found himself stumbling backwards into Kamamoto's waiting arms as the other man struggled to steady him without both of them toppling over.

Mind frozen, he stared at Awashima. The corner of her mouth curled up almost devilishly, before she turned around without saying anything and walked back to the bar and picked up her anko martini, sipping it as if she hadn't just kissed HOMRA's self-professed ladies' man into oblivion.

"All right, next up," Chitose said, clapping his hands, breaking the stupefied silence that had fallen over the bar, particularly in the area where the Sceptre 4 boys were sitting, their jaws still resting on the ground.  Kusanagi felt like he was about to faint from shock, not really sure if what he had just experienced was really real. He stumbled over to the sofa and collapsed next to Mikoto, who appeared to still be slumbering, although the Red King's body seemed to shift almost imperceptibly to give Kusanagi more space on the sofa. Kusanagi covered his face with his hands. Tatara, who was standing by the sofa, reached over and patted Kusanagi on the  head comfortingly.

"I'd like to pick 13 and 23 please," King Klaudia announced in her sweet, clear voice. 

Almost in sync, Fujishima and Eric stepped forward, making their way to the mistletoe. 

"Ooooooooo, go _you_ , cassanova," Misaki jeered at Eric. 

"Shut up, you damn chihuahua," Eric retorted, glaring back at him. He walked closer towards Fujishima as the other man stood in place, staring back impassively, although if one looked closer they would have been able to detect a faint trace of what seemed like nervousness or anticipation in his eyes. In the background, the HOMRA ABC boys continued to cheer and let out wolf whistles. 

"PUT THOSE SMARTASS TONGUE MUSCLES OF YOURS TO GOOD USE!" Bandou yelled, before he was quickly shushed by Akagi. 

Ignoring the ruckus, Eric reached a hand towards Fujishima's face, grasping him gently by the jaw. Then, turning the other man's face to the side, he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on his left cheek. Fujishima twitched slightly and inhaled sharply, although the sound he made was too soft to be heard by anyone else aside from the two of them. 

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Bandou yelled, outraged, while the other boys nodded vigorously. "That doesn't count! You have to do it on the lips!" 

"I don't recall there being any rule that said the kiss has to be on the mouth," Eric said coolly, brushing off the protests. He looked over at Tatara for confirmation, and the HOMRA executive nodded. Eric and Fujishima walked back to their corner of the bar where the other HOMRA members continued to make aggrieved noises. Klaudia looked over at them and giggled to herself. Despite Eric's cool look and Fujishima's placid face, the tips of both men's ears were red, a fact which none of the other HOMRA members noticed. Dewa, unlike the other jeering boys, actually slapped Eric on the back and gave him a look of mixed envy and admiration. This earned him a return jab to his ribs from Eric. 

"That's true. Ichigen-sama did kiss Kuroh on the forehead after all," Kusanagi said, taking pity on the two men, but also mostly just to prevent his precious bar from getting trashed because Eric, Misaki and Bandou were currently embroiled in a war of jabbing elbows while Fujishima, Kamamoto and Akagi tried in vain to pull them apart. 

"Of course! As if Ichigen-sama would ever do anything so shameless as kissing a lowly one such as myself on the lips!" Kuroh declared, puffing up in indignation at the very thought.

"Kuroh, don't speak about yourself like that," Ichigen murmured, patting his disciple on the head. Kuroh blushed and looked adoringly at his teacher. 

"That's right!" Shiro chimed in. "After all, Kuroh's lips belong to ME!"

For the second time that night, Kuroh choked on his drink. "What!?" he sputtered, taking out a handkerchief to wipe up all the liquid he had unintentionally sprayed all over himself and the table in front of him.

"Oh Kuroh, you really can't take a joke." Shiro laughed, helping to wipe the front of Kuroh's jacket with some tissues he had grabbed from the tissue box on the table which had thankfully survived the onslaught.   

"Of course not, not when you make such vulgar jokes," Kuroh scoffed, waving Shiro's hands away as the latter finished wiping his jacket and patted him firmly on the chest. Oddly, he had felt a sudden sharp twinge in his heart when he heard Shiro call it a joke, and for the life of him couldn't figure out why. Resolving to think about it later, he filed it away to the back of his mind before promptly forgetting about it once the game moved on. 

It was Fuse's turn to be King for the next round, and he ended up choosing the numbers for Doumyouji and Kamamoto. Almost before Fuse's last words had finished leaving his mouth, Doumyouji shot the Blue Boys a smug grin, and without even bothering to move towards the mistletoe, reached over the table to grab the front of Kamamoto's hoodie with both hands and pulled him into a deep kiss. 

There was a sense of de ja vu as a dead silence fell over the bar again as the rest of the people in the bar watched the scene unfolding before their eyes in breathless anticipation, except for the fact that this time the former caramel coated nut crunching Kamamoto was a hapless participant in the scene and no longer just a rubbernecking bystander. 

Ten seconds crawled by and the kiss was still ongoing.

A stifled noise came from beside Kamamoto where Ayumi was sitting. Wary eyes shot over to her direction, thinking that perhaps the lovestruck girl would soon cause a scene in protest at her beloved being kissed by someone else. Instead, the petite girl was clasping her hands together as she gazed in fascination at the two lip-locked men. Waving a hand vigorously in front of her face, she said faintly, "... Oh my. I think maybe a new passion has awakened in me."

Over at the bar, Yayoi was clutching her own flushed checks, nodding along rapturously as she listened to Ayumi's declaration.

Doumyouji finally released his lips from Kamamoto's with a loud popping sound, and the larger man stumbled backwards and fell back down heavily in his seat, dazed. Doumyouji turned around and flashed a victory sign at his colleagues, before similarly turning to the HOMRA boys and stating triumphantly, "And that, my friends, is how you give a REAL kiss." The silence promptly dissolved and gave way to yells of anger as the HOMRA boys yelled at Kamamoto for not fighting back and Eric for not "showing them how REAL men do it", and whoops and cheers from the Sceptre 4 boys as they surrounded Doumyouji, slapping him on the back in congratulations and offering him words of praise for "one upping those spineless red brats". It looked like an all out brawl was about to break out between the two groups until Kusanagi, again in crisis management mode, quickly yelled at every to shut up and pick their lots.

Fushimi was crowned the next King, and he called out the numbers 24 and 34 in a bored voice. His chosen ones turned out to be Tatara and Anna.  

Tatara took Anna's hand in his and drew her close to him, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. Anna's expression didn't change, but her eyes sparkled and her cheeks turned slightly pink. Tatara patted her on the head as everyone in the bar collectively sighed at the wholesomeness of the scene before them. Everyone, that is, except for one person. 

"This is so unfair!" Chitose wailed. "Why did everyone assume the worst of me but everyone is fine when Totsuka-san gets picked together with Anna!?" 

"Do you really want us to answer that question?" Dewa asked flatly. Chitose gave him an injured look and pouted.  

"27 and 30," Seri announced, her authoritative tone sounding perfectly suited to her temporary role as King.   

There was a loud clatter as Takeru fell from his chair. 

"W-what!?" Takeru yelped, "I've n-never kissed anyone before, let alone on the mouth!"

"Kusuhara." Zenjou's deep voice boomed across the room.

"Yes, sir!" Takeru immediately shot up and snapped smartly to attention, fixing his eyes on his superior, who returned his gaze solemnly. 

"A true soldier should not quail in the face of the unexpected. What one lacks in inexperience can be compensated with the resolve and determination to approach new challenges with an open mind and learn from them."

"Yes, Zenjou-san!"

"Well then, with that in mind, it is time for you to take the initiative." Zenjou said as he walked over to stand under the hanging mistletoe.

"Yes, Zenjou-san!" Takeru repeated automatically, as he always did whenever the older man issued him instructions. But once the auto-pilot influence had worn off and his brain caught up again on what was happening, he froze up again. He peered at Zenjou nervously like a deer in the headlights, while the older man simply looked back at him passively. 

Timidly stepping over to Zenjou, Takeru reached out a shaking hand, seemingly about to place it on his superior's right shoulder, but he hesitated just before it could reach its destination and changing his mind, shyly grasped Zenjou's empty sleeve instead.

If one looked closely, one could almost detect a slight smile turning up the corner of the one-armed demon's lips, but it was soon gone in the blink of an eye, leaving one to wonder if they had imagined it. Of course, still trembling like a delicate leaf in the wind, Takeru was too busy trying not to faint on the spot to notice anything. 

Stretching out his hand, Zenjou grasped Takeru's wrist and placed the younger man's hand on his right shoulder, ignoring the squeak that tumbled from the other's lips.

"Continue," Zenjou merely said, as Takeru looked up at him with wide eyes, flustered. 

"Yes sir!" Takeru automatically responded, seeming to relax slightly as he took comfort in the familiar motions of being instructed by his superior.

Takeru raised his left hand and placed it on Zenjou's other shoulder this time. 

In response, Zenjou reached out and placed his hand at the back of Takeru's waist and gave a quick tug, forcing the other to come closer so that they were standing almost chest to chest. Takeru's face smooshed into Zenjou's very broad and very solid and very _warm_ chest. Panicked, he pulled his head back slightly to apologise, but the words stuck in his throat as he looked up into Zenjou's eyes and he realised just how _close_ they were. Dropping his eyes quickly to the other man's chest, he chewed on his lip nervously and managed to stutter out an apology, brain stalling in panicky stops and starts as he pondered what to do next.

Zenjou removed his hand from Takeru's waist and the latter barely had any time to register the sudden small pang he felt at the loss of warmth when Zenjou reached out to tilt his chin up, forcing Takeru to look into his eyes. 

There was another squeak and Takeru stared back at Zenjou with eyes blown even wider with shock. 

"Continue," Zenjou said simply.   

"Yes sir!" Takeru replied instantly, straightening up and continuing to look at the other's eyes, understanding the silent command that he was not to look away at any cost. Takeru was full of admiration - as expected of Zenjou-san, he knew that Takeru had forgotten and was reminding him of one of the basic tenets of his training that "One must always keep his gaze on his opponent and be ready to strike at the sign of any opening." Takeru felt that he was truly blessed to have the chance to be personally taught by such an experienced and thorough master swordsman every day.

However, as Takeru continued to look deep into Zenjou's eyes, he felt himself begin to blush for some inexplicable reason. He gulped and unconsciously grasped at the lapels of the older man's coat, fearing that if he let go his jelly-like legs would give way completely. Taking a few breaths to collect himself, he placed his hand on Zenjou's cheek, trying to ignore the odd twist he felt in his stomach when his skin came into contact with Zenjou's. 

Again, there was another ghost of a smile and Zenjou slowly tilted his head and leaned into Takeru's palm, seeming almost like a German shepherd rubbing its cheek against its owner's hand. 

Breathless at the unexpected glimpse of this formerly unseen cuter side of his normally stern superior, Takeru's brain finally exploded in a shower of sparks and his body seemed to move on its own as he finally leaned forward and their lips touched.

Takeru melted into the kiss, barely noticing as Zenjou continued to gently adjust his position minutely so that they fit together more comfortably, instinctively following Zenjou's lead as they deepened their kiss.

"Oh ho~~~~," Munakata said, raising an eyebrow at Zenjou, who briefly gave him a sideways glance before returning to his "lesson", his face impassive.

Finally, Zenjou pulled away, smoothly catching Takeru around the waist before the latter could fall down to the ground, his poor legs finally giving up their losing battle to keep him upright.  

"Well done, Kusuhara. You learn fast," Zenjou said, an uncharacteristically gentle look in his eyes as he looked down at the boneless puddle in his arms. The words seemed to revive the dazed man and he perked up, for a moment almost seeming to morph into an eager puppy pricking up its ears and wagging its tail happily at having received praise from its owner. 

"Thank you, sir! I have received some very valuable instruction from you today and I am sure it will come in very handy next time!" Takeru said, finally managing to stabilise his limbs long enough to give a wobbly salute. 

There's going to be a next time!? was the silent collective thought of everyone else in the bar, the Sceptre 4 boys rubbing their aching jaws after having picked them up from the ground again for the second time that day, while Takeru happily returned to his seat, oblivious to the implications of what he had just said.

"Ok, moving on! It's lot picking time!" Tatara called out, eyes twinkling. This was turning out to be one of the most entertaining parties he had ever hosted.  

It was time for Chitose to be King next.

"17 and 33!" He called out. 

A loud exasperated sigh came from the dining booth where Fushimi was seated. "That's me," he said grumpily, very reluctantly holding up a lot with the number "17" on it and looking very much like he wanted to destroy the bar along with everyone inside it.

"All right, then who's number 33?" Chitose asked, eyes scanning over the rest of the partygoers since no one else had made themselves known.

Suddenly, a slurred voice piped up from opposite Fushimi. 

"'s me, " Misaki let out a small giggle, his face oddly red and his eyes unfocused. Fushimi looked at him askance. Why was he looking so flushed? Surely he couldn't be embarrassed? Fushimi was a man after all, so it couldn't be that Misaki's discomfort with women was acting up at the thought of having to kiss one of the ladies present. 

Chitose didn't dare to look over at Fushimi, for fear of receiving a glare so venomous that he would probably drop dead on the spot if their eyes met. He covered his face with his hands. Maybe this was karma for suggesting this cursed mistletoe game in the first place.

Fushimi wasn't the only one to notice that there was something odd with Misaki. Bandou trotted over and peered at Misaki's face, frowning slightly as he scrutinised the other man's face closely. Then suddenly, he let out a loud yell that made everyone around him jump.

"What the hell, Bandou!?" Eric growled, his ears ringing.

"Is that," said Bandou, pointing a trembling finger at the glass that Misaki currently had his hands wrapped around, "Is that the spiked eggnog!? Who the hell let Misaki drink that!?"

"Oops, that was me, teehee!" Doumyouji said, sticking his tongue out and winking cutely with an expression that could only be best described as a "my-oops-is-a-lie-and-I'm-actually-not-apologetic-at-all" face. "I thought the non-alcoholic eggnog just didn't have the same kick in it as the alcoholic one, so when Yata-san asked for a refill of his drink I thought he might like to give it a try!"

"Teehee my ass!" Bandou roared, backing away. "Do you not know what happens when Yata-san becomes drunk!?"

"Um, no?" Doumyouji replied. "I'm not from HOMRA. How would I?"

Bandou glared at him. "That was meant to be a rheto--- mph!" His shout was abruptly cut off as Misaki had suddenly stood up and grabbed him and planted a giant kiss on his lips. 

The screech died on Bandou's poor ravished lips and he frantically pushed the other man away. He was unfortunate enough to look over in the direction where Fushimi was seated, and received the fright of his life as Sceptre 4's third-in-command gave him a murderous glare that felt like it could literally melt the flesh off his bones.

"... and there you have it. Yata becomes a kissing monster when he's drunk." Tatara chirped, looking on in amusement at the chaos unfolding in front of him.

Misunderstanding the reason why Bandou looked like he was about to die, Doumyouji snickered and asked, "What's wrong, Bandou-san? Was that your first kiss?"

"Nooooooooo, San-chan's first kiss was meeeeeeee!" Akagi protested loudly, before Bandou could reply.

"What the HELL Akagi?" Bandou spluttered, still trying to peel Misaki off him. Unfortunately, the other man continued clinging on to him like a limpet.

"Don't you remember? It was when our class put on that Sleeping Beauty play for our cultural festival when we were in junior high! You were the Princess and I was the Prince!"

"THAT KIND OF FAKE KISS DOESN'T COUNT!" Bandou roared, still busy battling HOMRA's three-legged crow who somehow seemed to have transformed into an octopus. "And stop digging up all my black history!"

"What do you mean it doesn't count?" Akagi asked, pouting. "Does that mean if I give you another one now it'll count?"

Bandou had finally managed to kick Misaki off him and was too distracted for Akagi's question to register in his mind. So he was totally unprepared for when Akagi pulled him into his embrace and kissed him soundly.

_The fuck!?_ was the first thought that passed through Bandou's frozen brain. _This is actually quite nice?_ was the second. And finally, _Oh god is that his **tongue**!?_ was the third before Bandou's brain finally gave up struggling and decided to stop working altogether. 

Akagi ended the kiss by nipping at Bandou's lips playfully before pulling away, looking extremely pleased with himself. The bar exploded with whoops and jeers as the HOMRA and Sceptre 4 boys made fun of Bandou, who grew progressively redder and more angry as Akagi simply scratched his head shyly and thanked those clapping him on the back.  

"FUCK YOU, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Bandou roared at Akagi.

"Oh my San-chan, so soon after just a kiss? I didn't know you would be the type to move so fast," Akagi joked. 

Bandou blinked at him in confusion momentarily, then blushed even harder until his face almost turned purple when he processed the unintended innuendo. 

"What the HELL... all right FINE. If I'm going down then you're ALL going down with me!" Bandou yelled, grabbing the first two people closest to him and flinging them under the mistletoe.

Two people who just happened to be Fushimi and Yata.

"Er?" a drunk Misaki hiccuped blearily at a Fushimi whose face looked like it could freeze the very flames of hell itself.

Fushimi tsked. "This is stupid," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and turning around to stride off in the direction of the door. "I'm leaving."

"Saru? W're you goin'? 'r you gon' leave me again?" Misaki slurred in confusion, grabbing Fushimi frantically by his sleeve and looking up at him piteously. Fushimi froze, gazing down at Misaki's disheveled clothes, flushed face, teary eyes and slightly agape lips, and to his horror felt a wave of heat ripple through his body and something down below _twitch_.

"Let go!" Fushimi snapped, snatching his hand away, desperate to get away and get his feelings under control. But he miscalculated the force used and with Misaki's balance already being rather unsteady due to his drunkenness, the latter lost his balance and began to fall backwards. 

Fushimi didn't have excellent reflexes for nothing. He immediately reached out to steady Misaki by grabbing the front of his t-shirt, but in his panic, he pulled just a tad bit too hard and ended up yanking Misaki towards him. 

Everything around them seemed to move in slow motion as Misaki continued his free fall towards Fushimi...

With a loud SMACK, Misaki's lips mashed against Fushimi's, so violently that their teeth clacked. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around Fushimi for support, but the velocity of his fall was too fast even for Fushimi to handle, and the two men ended up crashing on the floor, their faces still plastered together.

Despite the violent jolt, Misaki seemed quite content to continue his imitation of a limpet that was enthusiastically attached to Fushimi's face, while Sceptre 4's golden boy stayed frozen to the spot, for once at a loss of what to say with no snarky comeback at the ready. 

A few more seconds ticked by before Misaki rolled off his makeshift rock and flopped over on his back, snoring loudly. 

For the nth time that day, there was a dead silence in the bar as everyone stared at the two bodies before them, one sleeping and one seemingly encased in ice. No one dared to breathe a single word until...

"... Well, I guess maybe it's time to put an end to this game?" Chitose shrugged, smiling wryly.

==============

In a certain traditional Japanese house in a certain decidedly not traditional maze of underground tunnels, another Christmas party was underway, albeit on a much smaller scale.

"All right everyone, eat up!" Iwafune said, laying a huge platter of fried chicken on the table that the rest of the Jungle members were gathered around.

"Fried chicken! Fried chicken!" Kotosaka cried out as he flapped around their heads with glee.

"Since today's a special occasion, I've made my special super spicy fried chicken with green and red chillies to go with the colour theme of our decorations!" Iwafune continued, waving his hand towards the walls of their makeshift house where red and green tinsel was draped everywhere. "I've prepared lots of drinks too, so feel free to eat and drink as much as you like!"

"Awesome!" Sukuna exclaimed, reaching out to snag a few pieces off the platter. 

"Sukuna, remember to chew properly otherwise you'll choke. Lots of old people in Japan die every year from choking on mochi because they don't chew properly, you know," Iwafune chided as he placed a headband with green reindeer antlers on Nagare's head before putting a red Santa hat on his own.

"Whatever, old man," Sukuna shot back, sticking his tongue out at Iwafune around an already half-chewed mouthful of fried chicken. "That won't happen to me because I'm not ancient like YOU." Iwafune simply laughed in response, used to the boy's barbed insults.   

"Where's Douhan-chan, Iwa-san?" Yukari asked as he declined the red reindeer antler headband Iwafune offered in his direction, with the reason being that the red would clash with the colour of his hair. He reached over to pick up a piece of fried chicken elegantly with his chopsticks instead. "Didn't you tell her about today's party?" 

"I did send her an invitation, but she didn't reply," Iwafune said.

"It is no matter, Iwa-san," Nagare said, his usual calm tone adding to the absurdity of one of the most terrifyingly powerful supernatural beings on the planet attempting to imitate an incorrectly colourized reindeer. He sipped from a straw in the drink in front of him, the mug decorated with garish paintings of Santa's elves prancing gaily through the snow. "She will come if she feels like it. Regardless, I plan for us to have an enjoyable celebration even if she chooses not to attend."

"Bleagh, who needs that fake ninja here anyway, she's such a stick in the mud that she'll probably make everything feel gloomy and gross," Sukuna grumbled, though the others noticed with amusement that the expressive boy couldn't hide his disappointment from showing in his eyes. 

"Oh my, are you sulking, Sukuna-chan?" Yukari teased.

"I'M NOT S---"

Suddenly, there was a tinny sound and a burst of static before music started blaring over the ancient transistor radio that had up till now never let out a single squeak, no matter how many times Iwafune had tried to fiddle with it and Sukuna had tried to kick it. 

"What the?"

"What the hell is this!?" 

"Language, Sukuna," Iwafune reprimanded again, although he was wincing and covering up his ears as well.

As a thought suddenly struck him, Iwafune paled. He reached over and grabbed the mug that was sitting on the tray in front of Nagare's wheelchair. He sniffed it and blanched.

"Nagare, did you drink this!? This eggnog is the one that has alcohol in it! Who gave this to Nagare!?" He yelped in dismay.

Nagare let out a little hiccup. "The drink was delicious, Iwa-san. May I have more?" He giggled and the holographic screen in front of him flashed. Iwafune watched in dismay as the bars in the volume control icon rocketed upwards. 

"ON THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEE FIVEEEEEEEEEEE GOLDENNNNNNNNNNN RINGSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS" the radio blared.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! TOO NOISY! TOO NOISY!" Kotosaka squawked loudly, adding to the din. 

"FOUR CALLING BIRDS~~~~~~~~~~~"

"Oh, the irony," Iwafune murmured as he glared at the one very loudly calling bird, trying to catch it and clamp its beak shut. 

"Omggggggggggggggg make it stoppppppppppppp!" Sukuna whined as he pressed his hands over his ears.

"AND A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"

"Oh my, this racket is an abomination to my beautiful ears," Yukari sighed, placing a the back of his hand delicately against his forehead.  

By coincidence, Douhan had picked that exact moment to phase through the floor of the makeshift house. She had received the invitation from Iwafune a few days ago, but not wanting to appear too eager, had decided not to reply and show up fashionably late to the party. Stopping in her tracks, she gazed silently at the commotion before her. Without a word, she promptly phased back out, leaving not a single trace of her presence behind.

=================

**Bonus Omake**

~~(Was originally planning to end this fic at the Jungle scene but I couldn't resist adding this because I am an incorrigible MikoTata shipper)~~

The party at Bar HOMRA had finally drawn to a close, and the place had been cleaned up by the HOMRA members, as well as by the Sceptre 4 members thanks to the insistence of Awashima, although there had been much grumbling from them about their aching muscles. Surprisingly, Fushimi had kept silent throughout the entire cleaning process with nary a complaint - he almost seemed like a stone statue going stiffly through the motions, and even had to be poked and prodded into walking properly as he and the rest of Sceptre 4 made their way back to their dormitory. Misaki had remained snoring in one of the dining booths until the cleaning had finished, whereupon he was bundled up unceremoniously by the other HOMRA boys who said they would send him home.

Mikoto was, as usual, slumbering on the sofa.

"Mikoto," Tatara tapped the sleeping King on his shoulder. 

The Red King cracked an eye open. The first sight that greeted him was of Tatara dangling a piece of mistletoe over him. 

"Did you have fun?" Tatara asking, playfully tapping at Mikoto's nose with the green sprig. Mikoto merely grunted in reply, but years of experience had taught Tatara how to decipher his King's grunts, and he knew this was an affirmative one. 

"I'm glad," Tatara beamed, and leaned down to place a soft kiss on his King's nose. Just as he was pulling away, Mikoto let out another grunt and pulled the other man toward him for another deeper kiss on the mouth. Tatara was startled at the suddenness, but then smiled as he relaxed into the kiss, making pleased humming noises which earned him a tsk from Mikoto when they broke apart.

Tatara snuggled up next to Mikoto, who automatically wrapped his arm around him. Due to his naturally low body temperature, there was nothing Tatara liked more than lying pressed up by the side of his King, whose body gave off a comforting heat that made Tatara feel like he was being wrapped up by the gentle flames of a hearthfire.  They lay there quietly enjoying the stillness of the bar, a stark contrast from how it had been merely an hour before. 

"Merry Christmas, King," Tatara whispered softly just as he could hear the other man's breathing begin to even out, indicating that he was on the verge of falling asleep. Tatara closed his eyes as he began to feel himself drift off as well. 

"I'm happy." 


End file.
